Make new friends but keep the old...
One is silver and the other gold.
If I put a title on my activities of last week, it would be simply Friends. This little song from my Girl Scout days kept running through my head over the weekend as I looked back over the past few days.
It was a mixture of friends. First of all, joined-at-the-hip friend Judy and I enjoyed taking in Smokey Joe's Café at our local theater. Good old music from our growing up days. Second, I sat for over an hour connecting with a new friend who is new to our church and came to Ladies Lunch on Thursday. It's always fun to meet someone new and find out you have many of the same interests. On another day, I shared lunch with a gal who grew up here just a bit ahead of me and has a very similar background to mine. We became better friends as we talked of local stuff and kids and church...you name it.
The friend that capped the week is the sweet girl chasing the bouquet I'm tossing in the picture. She's another of my Judy friends (I have so many Judys in my life and each one is special!) She, along with the girl standing next to her in the other picture, are two of the rocks-of-my-life friendships that have carried through the years from early school years to today. And yes, even though I am guilty of putting those roses on their heads. Lynette, the dark-haired bridesmaid, now lives in Cincinnati and we make it a point to get together whenever she comes to Vero. She was here earlier this year when I gave the eulogy at her mother's funeral.
Judy, as you can see in the picture, was ready to catch that bouquet. She did catch it and she and Glenn were married about a year later. Same church, same social hall.
Judy and Glenn now live in the Panhandle of Florida and have just experienced that horrible Hurricane Michael. After several weeks of living in what they described as a war zone, they came to Vero to visit their son and have a change of scene. I got the call Friday morning..."Hey, headed your way. Can we get a cup of coffee and catch up?" Absolutely. We caught up for three hours. And could have sat there for three more.
Judy gave me a little nudge during the conversation. "I'm missing my Faith Breezes," she said. I realized then that it's been a long time since I sat down and put thoughts in writing. To say this has been a stressful Summer and Fall would be putting it mildly. I needed that good visit with friends who are like old shoes more than Judy could ever know. And I crack up when I envision her opening this one up and seeing herself chase that bouquet. That was 51 years ago. And we haven't aged a bit! Well, maybe a little...
These are the friendships that are golden. I hope you have some in your life, too. They're our Faith Breezes - those gifts from God that waft through our days like the warm ocean breezes.
Thanks be to God for his amazing gifts.